Controller.



H. A. STEEN.

' CONTROLLER.

APPLIOATION FILED JULY 8, 1909. RENEWED MAR. 20. 1911.

Patented Oct. 10, 1911.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

WITNESSES 120., WASHINGTON n c UNITED s'rn'rns PATENT onnicn.

HARRY A. STEEN, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNCYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR T0 WESTINGHOUSEELECTRIC AND MANUFACTURING COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

CONTROLLER.

Application filed July 8, 1909, Serial No. 506,603.

To all whom "it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARRY A. STEEN, a subject of the Kingof Norway, anda resident of Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny and State ofPennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Controllers,of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to controllers for electric motors, and it has forits object to provide a simple and durable device of this character thatshall be adapted to govern the operation of either one or both of twomotors in either forward or reverse direction.

In some cases, two induction motors or two motors of other types are soassociated with each other and with their driven mech anisms that it isdesirable to be able to operate the motors either concurrently or tooperate the one or the other of the motors independently.

According to my present invention, the above mentioned results areaccomplished in a single controller which comprises, in general, twocontrol drums, a single operating lever and a novel arrangement ofgearing whereby either or both of the control drums may be moved througha series of control positions for either forward or reverse operation ofthe motors, by adjusting the lever as hereinafter described.

Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings is a plan view of a controllerconstructed in accordance with my invention, and Figs. 2 and 3 areelevations, at right angles to each other, of a portion of thecontroller shown in Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, the controller here shown comprises a pairof'rotatabl'e drums 1 and 2 and vertical shafts 3 and 4 therefor whichare journaled, in the usual manner, between a base plate (not shown),and a crown plate 5 of the device. The shafts 3 and 4: are provided withsegmental gear wheels 6 and 7 which respectively mesh with gear segments8 and 9 that are so mounted on an intermediate shaft 10 as to beindependently rotatable.

The shaft 10 is journaled between the crown plate 5 and a cross strip 11which is secured to posts 12 that project upwardly from the crown plate.The drums 1 and 2 are operated by means of a lever 13, having a handle14, the lever being pivotally se cured to the shaft 10 by means of a pin15,

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 10, 1911 Renewed March 20, 1911. Serial No. 615,659.

and being provided with an aperture 16 to receive the shaft 10. It isevident that the lever may be rotated on the pin 15 without moving theshaft 10 but that any lateral movement of the lever will be transmittedto the shaft. As already pointed out, the gear segments 8 and 9 arerotatably mounted on the shaft and the force required to turn the drumsis such that the segments will not be rotated unless positive drivingconnections are established between the lever and the segments.

The lever is provided with two downwardly projecting arms 17 and 18which are adapted to engage notches 19 and 20 in the gear segments 8 and9, when the lever 13 occupies its mid position Z) and lies substantiallyin a horizontal plane, as shown in Fig. 3. The positions a, b, and c,which may be occupied by the lever, are determined by a notchedprojection 21 and a ring segment 22. The ring segment is provided with anotch 23 which is located substantially at its middle point and theprojection 21 is so proportioned and so located that it registers withthe notch in the ring and only permits a vertical adjustment of thelever when the drums occupy their oft positions. The notches of theprojection 21 are adapted to receive the ring segment as the lever isrotated in either direction from its central position.

Assuming that the parts occupy the positions shown in Fig. 3; if thelever is moved downwardly until segment 22 is opposite the notch a inthe projection 21 and the lever is then laterally adjusted in the onedirection or the other, the projection 17 will be disengaged from thenotch 19 of the segment 8 but the projection 18 will still engage thenotch 20. It is obvious that a lateral adjustment of the lever 13, underthese conditions, will effect a rotative movement of the drum 2 whilethe drum 1 will not be moved. Similarly, if, when the drums 0ccupy theiroff position, the lever 13 is so adjusted that the segment 22 engagesnotch 0, only the drum 1 will be actuated, and, as already explained,both drums may be operated concurrently by permitting the segment 22 toengage the notch b in the pro jection 21. In order to avoid thepossibility of losing control of either of the motors after they havebeen started, the control handle can only be adjusted to vary itsconnection with the control drums when they occupy their off or opencircuit positions.

It is evident that structural modifications may be effected within thespirit of my invention, and I desire that only such limitations shall beimposed as are indicated in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. A controller for electric motors comprising a plurality of drums, anoperating lever adapted for rotative movement in a plurality ofapproximately parallel planes and intermediate gearing dependent uponthe plane of lever operation for permitting the lever to operate any oneof the drums independently or all of them simultaneously.

2. A controller for electric motors comprising a plurality of movableswitching devices, a single operating lever adapted for operation in anyone of a plurality of planes, means for governing the plane ofadjustment of the lever and intermediate gearing dependent upon saidmeans for permitting the handle lever to operate any one of themechanisms independently or all of them concurrently.

8. A controller for electric motors comprising a pair of rotatableswitch drums, gear segments secured to the drums, an intermediate shaftdisposed parallel to the drum axes, a pair of gear segmentsindependently rotatable on said intermediate shaft and adapted tocooperate with the gear segments on the drums, and a handle leverpivotally secured to the intermediate shaft and capable of adjustment toeffect an operative connection with either one or with both of the gearsegments upon the intermediate shaft.

4:. A controller for electric motors comprising a pair of rotatableswitch drums, gear segments secured to the drums, an intermediate shaftdisposed parallel to the drum axes, a pair of gear segmentsinclependently rotatable on said shaft and adapted to cooperate with thegear segments on the drums, and a handle lever secured to theintermediate shaft and having downwardly projecting arms adapted torespectively engage the gear segments and forming an operativeconnection with either one or both of said segments according to theadjustment of the handle in a plane of the intermediate shaft.

5. A controller for electric motors comprising a pair of rotatablecontact-bearing drums, a driven segmental gear wheel secured to eachdrum, an intermediate shaft, driving gear segments independentlyrotatable on the intermediate shaft and adapted to cooperate,respectively, with the driven segments, a handle lever pivotallysupported and adapted to be so operatively connected to the driving gearsegments that a rotative movement of the handle lever produces arotative movement of the contact-bearing drums, and means foraccentuating three positions of adjustment of the handle lever in aplane parallel to the axis of the intermediate shaft, the handle leverbeing operatively connected to either one or to both of the drivingsegments according to the position of adjustment occupied thereby.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this th day ofJune,

HARRY A. STEEN. WVitnesses G. M. STOUT, B. B. I-IINEs.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

